The Chlark Chronicles: Hero
by Heartlocker
Summary: All Clark and Chloe want is a normal marriage, but with crime on the rise and a city searching for an answer, they know that nothing is ever going to be normal. With Chloe's help, can Clark find his way to become the Superman we all know and love?
1. Chapter 1

**The Chlark Chronicles: Hero**

**Chapter 1: Hope**

**AN: So, I thought I'd kind of explore a new side of the story and go with the whole Clark Kent becoming Superman storyline. I've wanted to do one like this, but I wanted Chloe to be there and I feel like I've sort of set it up with the previous two stories in this series. Clark Kent is now a journalist at the planet, working alongside Chloe. I didn't really explain how they got into those positions. So, just remember that the characters haven't changed over the time period between the two stories, but their lives have. Hopefully, you'll get where I'm going with everything. **

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Chloe Kent stood out on the balcony of their apartment. Even if this crime infested city had not a single drawing feature during the day, she could never argue that it was a beautiful place at night. Of course, the serenity of the beautiful city lights was endlessly interrupted by a siren or alarm going off somewhere in the city. But every time she heard those sounds she was reminded of one person, the one who was out there doing everything in his power to help protect the city.

She looked down at the ring on her finger and smiled as it glistened in the moonlight. No matter what happened, she was always going to be the one at home waiting for him every night. She rubbed her arms, trying to remove the chill that the midnight breeze had carried in. She felt the cold front that the weather man had been babbling about moments before as she was waiting to see what amazing miracle or amazing feat had just ensued on the dark streets of Metropolis. It felt good to know that she was the only one who really knew who was performing all these amazing feats. But even that feeling didn't give her worried mind relief. She couldn't help but worry about him while he was gone. After all, every night she had to deal with the fact that she might not see him again when he kissed her and reminded her that he loved her more than anyone. She knew that he would only be lecturing her if he knew how much she worried about him, but it was something that she couldn't help but do. She cared about him too much to ever think of living her life without him.

The cold air was becoming unbearable through her thin shirt and pajama pants and she decided it would be best to go in and warm up. After all, he wasn't going to come back any faster just because she was standing out there. She slid the door closed until it locked with a click. She reopened it slightly, just enough so that he could get in without having to bang on the window in case she fell asleep. She went back to the couch and decided to rest her eyes for a few minutes as she covered up with a blanket and laid against the arm rest.

He carefully landed on the balcony, a technique he had mastered not long ago and still felt very proud of when he actually did it correctly. This flying thing was turning out to be very helpful, but it still wasn't perfect. Flying wasn't the problem, it was the landing part. In the beginning, he had landed wrong and went straight into the window a few times. Other times, he missed the balcony and had to catch himself midair, thankful for his quick reaction time. Even if he couldn't get hurt falling all that way, it would just be embarrassing. And people might get a little suspicious at the invincible man that just got up, brushed himself off, and walked away after falling 40 feet.

He landed gently and looked in, seeing Chloe asleep on the couch. He noticed the sliding door slightly nudged open and figured that she had been out here waiting for him earlier that evening. He knew that she understood that he had to do this, but it didn't make him feel any better about leaving her every night. He quietly opened the door and shut it behind him. Her lack of movement led him to assume that she must have been exhausted. It seemed that she had been falling asleep waiting for him a lot lately. Sadly, he had no idea if she was just tired from her day at work or tired of waiting for him. He chose to believe the former.

He walked over and picked her up slowly. She moved slightly and wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head against his chest instinctively. He smiled at her gesture and kissed her softly on the forehead as he made his way back to the bedroom. He set her down gently on the mattress and she released her arms from his neck, allowing him to go and shower before he got in bed. He took a speed shower, trying to make as little noise as possible while doing so. If she had been awake, he knew she would be lecturing him about using his powers for silly things like speed showering. He smiled at the thought as he dried his hair with a towel and threw on a pair of pajama pants before getting in the bed. Within a few minutes, like a magnetic attraction, she would end up in his arms before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, she awoke to the heat of his body around her. The slight change in her breathing pattern caused him to open his eyes and look down at her.

"Morning sleepyhead," Clark said quietly as he kissed her.

"Morning," she replied with a smile, "Did everything go ok last night?"

"Yeah, it went fine. Nothing to worry about." He knew how much she worried about him no matter how many times he told her not to. She smiled at his comment. He knew her all too well.

"So you say." She ran her fingers gently through his hair and pulled him closer to her. He gave in and kissed her.

"I missed you," he said quietly between kisses.

"I missed you too Clark."

Later that day, at the Planet, they were busily working on an article of a recent bank heist that had happened a few days before. They were the best people for the job of course, because Clark had been the one who had stopped the thieves from getting away with the money about a block down. So many incidents were beginning to show up everywhere, all because of Clark. These were the stories that were popular and they were assigned and had to go out and interview everyone involved, even if they already knew what was happening. That's when the theories began being formulated. The Kents were making the headlines with their suggestions of a hero of sorts. Why couldn't Metropolis have a hero? Gotham City had their Batman. At one time, Metropolis had Oliver Queen or The Green Arrow. These were the things that Chloe and Clark were bringing to the table and that was why the newspapers were flying off the press. It made them both feel good to know that they were giving people hope that there really was someone out there watching over them and trying to protect them.

"Kent!" Perry White called from his office in his normal scruffy tone which sounded somewhere in between yelling and extreme excitement. The new editor in chief was a veteran at his job, but the Planet and Metropolis were entirely new territory for him. Chloe and Clark both wondered how someone that was so new could make them feel like they were the ones who were the Rookies at this paper, even if they had been working there for at least 3 years. Yet everyday, Perry White did exactly that.

"He's calling you Clark," Chloe replied with a smirk.

"No, I think he wants you," Clark argued.

"You know, you would think that someone like you wouldn't be afraid of anyone or anything," Chloe said quietly so only Clark heard.

"Yeah well, even Achilles has his heel," Clark replied as he looked over towards Perry's office.

"Don't keep me waiting! I have a paper to run here!" Perry said again from the door of his office and shut it with a slam behind him.

"And Clark Kent has Perry White," Chloe replied with a laugh as she nudged him playfully and Clark walked carefully towards the door. He opened it and shut it softly behind him. He had decided when he started working at the pPanet that he should probably wear glasses full time to make it look less suspicious if anyone saw him perform the mystery tasks that he performed every evening and frequently during the day.

"Good morning Chief," Clark said cheerfully.

"Wipe that sorry smile off your face and listen up Kent," Perry said as he looked at him angrily and then suddenly broke into a smile after seeing Clark's reaction, "I'm just kidding. Have a seat Clark."

Clark tried to hide the 50 shades of red he was turning as he sat in the seat in front of Perry's desk. As he looked over to Chloe who was desperately trying to refrain from falling on the floor laughing at Clark's reaction.

"You too Chloe," Perry said as he gave her a wink and motioned for her to sit. It was quite funny how he always treated Chloe like his daughter, yet he treated Clark like he was walking into a General's office and made him feel jumpy and nervous with every word.

"Well, I just want to say that I am very proud of the both of you. Our sales have been higher than ever since the two of you have brought up this theory of us having a rising hero on our hands. But we need more. This theory is only going to get us so far. If we don't start getting our hands on some evidence that this hero exists then, well, I don't even like to think about what might happen," Perry said as he looked over his glasses at the both of them. Chloe exchanged a quick glance at Clark who was listening intently to Perry's words as if the wheels in his mind were turning with every syllable.

"So, you want hard evidence? Well, leave it to the Kents to get you hard evidence," Chloe said matter-of-factly.

"Alright then. That's the attitude I like to hear. I'm sure Clark feels that way too," Perry said as he looked at Clark who was trying his best to fake a reassuring smile.

"Yes sir."

"Okay, well go out and get me proof you two. If anyone can do it, it's the two of you. Have fun!"

"We will," Chloe replied with a smile and Clark nodded as they walked out the door and over to their desks.

"Let's go. We need to talk," Clark said as he took her arm and pulled her towards the elevator. She grabbed her stuff off her desk on the way and the elevator doors shut.

"Chloe, are you crazy? How can we get proof? Mystery man is supposed to stay that way, a mystery," Clark said quietly trying to keep anyone from hearing. She smiled at his sudden excitement on the matter.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked as he began to catch her cheeriness.

"You. You are getting way too excited Clark. This could work. Think about it. You wouldn't have to be doing all of this stuff in hiding. You would have a way to be both a hero and an ordinary guy."

"Chloe, I'm never going to be an ordinary guy."

"Clark, you know what I mean." The elevator dinged and they exited, making their way towards the coffee shop next door to formulate a game plan.

"So what do you propose?" he asked as they continued walking down the sidewalk.

"I have two words for you. Green Arrow."

They turned the corner and entered the coffee shop. After grabbing a cup to go they went upstairs to their apartment to finish the conversation. As soon as the door was shut he started the conversation again.

"What do you mean by Green Arrow?"

"The costume, the alternate identity, the whole façade," Chloe replied, proud of herself for coming up with the idea.

"Are you kidding? I don't want to live my whole life living a lie, trying to be two separate people." The look on Chloe's face made him realize what he had just said. They went over to the couch and sat down.

"Clark, I know that I could never understand what it's like for you to have to hide this everyday. But if you think about it, it would be like you were letting out this secret in exchange for being able to live your life as two separate people. Look at Gotham Clark. The town has embraced this weird creepy bat creature that runs around the city at night stopping crime. If a city like Gotham can do that, why wouldn't Metropolis be able to embrace someone who is doing things that Batman could never dream of doing?" Chloe explained as she took his hand in hers. He looked at her, trying to find an answer in her eyes, but he knew that he never would. Only he could decide what needed to be done.

"But Batman can't fly Chlo. He falls with style. Batman can't lift an entire building on his head or shoot heat lasers from his eyes. Face it Chlo. I'll be thought of as a freak and they probably would put me away forever if they ever found out my weakness." He was just being practical. He knew that everything she said was true but there was still that part of him that wanted to avoid all of this. He wanted to keep doing things the way he had been, not make things more complicated. But there was that part that knew that the people of Metropolis needed him. He knew that Chloe was saying exactly what his father would be saying. This very well could be a part of his destiny. Chloe knew that the thoughts were running through his head and she changed her voice back from her excited reporter voice to a softer, more comforting tone and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Yes, all that might happen, but then again, they might embrace you and look up to you, knowing that you aren't there to hurt them, but to help them and to be their hero. Clark, you always told me you saw something more for yourself than just helping people on a small town level. Right now, that's all you're doing. If you do this, you might get the chance to help people on a nationwide level or even a planet wide level. You're right, Batman can't do the things you can. But that is what makes you so special. The people of Metropolis are ready for a hero, Clark. You already have my vote. The only question is, are you ready to be that hero?"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Chlark Chronicles: Hero**

**Chapter 2- RedK**

**AN: Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please RandR.**

He walked over to the window overlooking the street below. He watched as the traffic moved by. Chloe was right. The people of Metropolis were ready for this. Hopefully, the people would embrace him. If they didn't, then he could always go back to being plain, extraordinary Clark Kent from Smallville, Kansas. Chloe walked over beside him and took his hand in hers. He looked over at her and so many thoughts came to his mind. He wanted her to be safe and protected, but why should he be the one to choose who he protects. If he had the chance to protect an entire city, then that is exactly what he should do. It was time to give in and become the hero that Chloe already thought of him as.

"Well, I guess I'm going to need a disguise," Clark said as he looked back out the window and smiled slightly. She looked back at him with excitement

"You won't be sorry," Chloe said as she embraced him in a hug. After a few seconds he pulled away.

"I have an idea, but first, we need to take a little trip to Smallville." Chloe smiled and pulled out her cell. She quickly dialed the number to the Planet.

"Hello, Perry White please."

"One moment," the secretary replied.

"This is Perry."

"Hi Perry, it's Chloe Kent."

"Chloe, is there a problem?"

"No, no problem at all. Actually, Clark and I need to take a little time off. It's pretty important," Chloe said, trying to sound convincing. Of course, with Perry, she seldom needed to sound convincing.

"Well, I know that you wouldn't be asking unless it was important so I guess I can let my two favorite reporters have a rest for a few days. It _is_ going to be just a few days right?"

"Yes, we'll be back Monday," Chloe replied.

"Alright, but if you get any leads at all on this, you let me know and I will have the fax machine ready for your article."

"Okay, we will. Thanks, Perry."

"No problem. Have a good time Chloe. And tell Clark he better find me a lead or else," Perry replied half-joking, half-serious at the last comment.

"Yes, Sir. I'll tell him. Bye." Chloe hung up the phone feeling quite satisfied with herself.

"Let's get packing, Smallville awaits," Chloe said with a smile as she took his hand and they made their way to the bedroom.

"Hey, what did he say to tell me?" Clark said as they entered the room.

"That you better get him a lead or else," Chloe said as she poked him in the chest to prove her point. Clark looked worried making Chloe laugh even harder. They were soon packed and in Clark's truck on their way to Smallville. Chloe fell asleep soon after they started to make their way back to the infamous hometown. Clark didn't mind, seeing as how he was too busy thinking about his next move to be very good company in the first place. He pulled into the familiar drive and let out a sigh as he looked at the house he grew up in. It definitely needed a paint job, something he made a mental note to do during their stay. Chloe awoke at the cease of movement and looked around at their surroundings.

"Home sweet home," Clark said with a smile as he turned off the ignition and got out of the car. He walked over to Chloe's side and helped her out and grabbed the bags from the back.

"Did you call your mom before we left Clark?"

"Yes she…," He stopped mid-sentence when he heard Martha Kent unlock the door and open it.

"Well, it's nice to see that the two of you are alive and well. It was a little touch and go there for awhile considering you haven't paid me a visit in at least 3 months," Martha replied as she hugged the two of them.

"Sorry, Mom. We've just been busy," Clark replied. Chloe could tell that he was happy to be home in a 'safe' environment away from all the thugs and violence that he had been dealing with so much lately in Metropolis.

"Too busy for your poor mother?" Martha asked playfully.

"What Clark means is that he has been so busy protecting Metropolis that he didn't want to worry you," Chloe replied. Martha glanced towards Clark with a questioning look."He's just way too modest to tell you that," Chloe said with a smile.

"I have a feeling I have been missing out on a lot lately. Why don't we go inside and chat over some coffee? You two can take your stuff up to the guest bedroom," Martha said as she held the door open for them to come in.

"I have a feeling that wasn't a question," Clark whispered to Chloe as they started to make their way up the stairs.

"I heard that Clark," Martha yelled from the kitchen.

"You would think she was the one who had the superhearing," Clark replied as they walked into the guest bedroom and set their stuff down.

"All mothers do on this fair planet. You should have at least learned that by now, "Chloe replied with a laugh as they made their way back to the kitchen.

"There's some banana nut bread in the breadbox if you want some," Martha said as she poured three cups of coffee.

"Sounds good," Clark said as he walked over and grabbed a piece. Martha handed Chloe two of the cups and they made their way into the living room. Clark and Chloe shared the couch and Martha sat in a nearby chair.

"So, I know the two of you did not just come here to visit me. I can see the spark in your eyes. I know you are here on a mission."

"You caught us Mom," Chloe said as she emphasized the last word. Martha noticed but decided not to point it out and continued on with the conversation.

"Hmm, well considering your latest articles, I have a feeling I know what this is about."

"Mom, Chloe has come up with the idea that I need to have a hero identity and a separate alternate identity. That's sort of why I'm here. I want your opinion on it."

"Clark, I have to say that it isn't going to be easy being two separate people. But I know that it isn't any easier having to hide that you are the one protecting these people and you are unable to do that many times because you don't want to ruin your identity."

"Exactly my argument," Chloe replied with a smile.

"If anyone could be the hero that we need right now, it's you Clark. You know, if you're father were here he would tell you to stop running from who you really are and embrace it. He might go through a list of pros and cons with you and try his best to protect you, but I know that in the end he would have supported this. You've always been a hero to us, Clark. It's time for you to start helping other people, and if this is what you have to do in order to do that, then so be it. Who am I to stand in your way?" Clark and Chloe exchanged a glance and then directed their attention back to Martha.

"Thank you so much for your support Mom," Clark replied.

"Ok, now that we have that covered, let's talk about the disguise because the glasses thing is so not working," Chloe replied feeling the excitement that she always got when working on a big story.

"Well, I want to use the symbol that is on the crystal that I got to destroy the zoners, but I have no idea where it is," Clark explained.

"Hmm, well let's go out to the barn and see what we can find," Martha said. They soon arrived out in the barn and Martha opened the door to a closed off section that looked somewhat hidden. There were several boxes filled with things from Clark's childhood.

"I'll let you two look, I need to make a few phone calls before the evening is gone," Martha said as she opened the door for them and made her way back to the house. Clark knew that so much of the stuff reminded her of Jonathan. He didn't blame her for not wanting to go through all of it. Chloe walked in and looked over at one of the boxes. She looked down and picked up a frame with a picture of the two of them from high school.

"There are so many memories in here Clark."

"Yeah," he replied as he looked at a few other items. They soon found three lead boxes.

"Here we are," Clark said as he picked up the three of them, "How does the loft sound?"

"Sounds good," Chloe replied as she led the way up the stairs. It still looked much like it had when he last left it. His telescope was still in the exact spot that it had been when he left all those years ago. Clark laid the three boxes out on the table.

"Ok, so I guess we just pick one and hope that it's the right one?"

"I can close it faster if you happen to choose the green so I'll do it," Chloe said as she walked over in front of the boxes and opened the first one. It was green kryptonite and she closed it quickly. She looked back at Clark who was rubbing the sweat off his forehead.

"Ok, so that's not it." She opened the next box and revealed the red kryptonite. She closed it even faster than the first when she saw a little red flash in Clark's eyes. She closed too quickly though and it dropped on the floor. Hitting the side of Clark's shoe before it landed on the ground. She grabbed it quickly and put it back in the lead box, closing the lid. Her attention was turned away from Clark and she didn't realize that just that simple exposure was affecting him.

"Well, then this is our winner," Chloe replied as she opened the third box. She jumped when Clark came behind her and wrapped his arms around her and starting kissing down her neck sending chills down her back. She pushed him off with a laugh.

"Hey, baby what's wrong? You don't like it," Clark said cockily.

"Okay Clark, quit playing around. We found it, let's go back in the house," Chloe replied.

"Oh come on. Let's just stay up here. My Mom is just going to ruin all our fun."

"Hmm, you're so right Clark. It's much better up here," Chloe said with a laugh and began making out with him. He laid her on the couch and started making out. Hours later, they were still making out, clothing spread out on the floor.

"Hmm, so how does cake sound?"

"What kind of cake?" he said mischievously.

"From Italy," Chloe said with a laugh.

"Let's go," Clark replied as they threw on their clothes and he picked her up in his arms and flew off. After several hours of cake tasting and cake stealing, they flew back over Smallville. They looked over the Luthor mansion and Clark suddenly had an idea.

"What do you say we throw the Luthors a little party?" Chloe laughed menacingly at his remark. They flew down and Clark snuck the two of them inside past the security cameras. They walked in the living area and were both met with the face of Lex Luthor.

"Clark, Chloe? What are you doing here?" Lex asked curiously.

"Oh, we just wanted to drop in and see how things were. Care if I have a drink?" Clark asked as he walked over and picked up the whole bottle of brandy and chugged it back.

"Yeah, uh, help yourself," Lex said confused.

"Clarky, you aren't going to share with your wife?" Chloe said as she stuck out her bottom lip.

"I've got all you need right here," he said as he kissed her passionately. Their make-out session was interrupted when Lana walked in.

"Uh, hi guys," she said as she shot Lex a confused look. He just shrugged his shoulders. They looked at her, laughed, and then continued their little vendetta.

"Well, I guess you guys are a little busy. We'll just be leaving," Lex said as he started to make his way out the door. Clark grabbed his arm before he walked out.

"Lana, Lana, Lana. So here you are stuck with this con artist once again. I guess if he is the best you can get then you just have to settle."

"Clark! What has gotten into you? I thought you were okay with all this."  
"Oh, I'm fine with it. It's this annoying rich kid here that I'm not okay with," Clark said as he moved closer to Lex, "So you didn't have enough fun ruining everyone else's life? You just had to bring Lana into all of this."

"Clark, you need to step back and get out of my house before I call security in here."

"Chloe, you hear him? He's going to call security," Clark said with a laugh.

"Oh I heard him," she laughed back. Lana suddenly realized what was going on with the two of them. "Red meteor rocks," Lana whispered under her breath to Lex.

"Clarky, I'm bored. I feel like cake again."

"Italy it is," he said as he picked her up in his arms.

"See ya around Lana," he said as he kissed her with force and walked out the door with Chloe in his arms, leaving Lex stunned at the entire scenario.

Hours later they arrived in the loft, both passed out on the couch. The next morning, Chloe woke up and looked around the room. They must have fallen asleep, although she didn't remember falling asleep and she had a weird taste in her mouth. Her head throbbed as she shifted out from underneath Clark. He woke up at her movement and rubbed his eyes as he adjusted to the bright sunlight.

"Are you alright Clark?" Chloe asked as she rubbed the temples of her forehead trying to soothe the headache.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Do you remember falling asleep?" Chloe asked, confused at the whole situation.

"No. The last thing I remember is you dropping the Red Kryptonite and picking it up to put it back in the box…." Clark said as he suddenly realized what had happened.

"Oh no. We were under Red Kryptonite all day," Chloe said worriedly.

"It's okay Chlo. We'll find out what happened," Clark replied as he embraced and kissed her forehead tenderly. They made their way into the house and found Martha drinking her coffee.

"Hi Mom," Clark said as he walked in the door.

"Well, good morning to you too. It's nice to see you after your hide-out yesterday," Martha replied.

"Yeah uh about that. Chloe and I were affected by Red Kryptonite yesterday. We have no idea what we did and who we said things too," Clark said nervously. They heard a knock on the door and Martha answered. It was Lex and Lana.

"Hi, we just wanted to make sure that Clark and Chloe were alright. They came by the house yesterday and were acting a little 'strange' to say the least. We are just worried about them," Lex explained.

"Oh, about that. Yesterday, Clark and Chloe were affected by a type of meteor rock that causes erratic behavior. They are just now waking up from it and have no idea what happened."

Clark walked over to the door.

"Uh, sorry if I did anything Lex. I seriously don't remember anything," Clark said apolegitcally.

"It's okay Clark. We just wanted to make sure you were alright. Is Chloe okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Just a little out of it," Clark said as he looked back and saw her fast asleep on the couch.

"Alright, well, we just wanted to make sure. Get some rest and stay away from those meteor rocks," Lex replied as they made their way back to his car.

"Bye Clark. Bye Mrs. Kent," Lana said as she followed.

"Well, hopefully that is the only place you went yesterday," Martha said with a sigh.

"Yeah, hopefully." He went back out to the barn and got the crystal with the symbol he wanted and brought it back inside. He and Mrs. Kent worked for several hours on ideas for the costume. He decided to go down and check on Chloe. He found her fast asleep and began to worry. He went over and knelt down next to her.

"Chlo?" he said quietly as he kissed her forehead. He noticed that it was a little warm when he did.

"Hmm," she said quietly as she turned towards him and opened her eyes slowly.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Clark asked softly.

"Not really," she replied trying to force a smile. He looked at her worriedly. His mom walked down the stairs and saw the look on his face.

"Clark, is everything okay?" Martha asked nervously as she quickened her pace and walked over beside the two of them.

"I'm fine, just tired and nauseous. Probably all that Red K," Chloe replied.

"I don't know Chloe. You've been under Red K before and this didn't happen," Clark replied as he helped her sit up. She suddenly felt lightheaded and grabbed his arm for support.

"Chloe, you're going to the hospital," Clark said as he picked her up in his arms.

"Superspeed Clark. I'll drive over there and meet you in a few."

"Thanks Mom," Clark said as he took off with Chloe in his arms. They arrived at the hospital and Clark rushed her in. On the way there, she had suddenly fainted in his arms.

"Can I get a doctor in here?" Clark exclaimed as he looked around for help. A nurse rushed a gurney over and Clark placed her gently down on it.

"Sir, we need you to wait out here." They took off with Chloe down the hall, leaving Clark awaiting an answer.


End file.
